Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving sits out Game 3

The Cleveland Cavaliers were once again without All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Irving, who aggravated his left knee tendinitis during the Cavs' Game 1 win in Atlanta, also missed Game 2 on Friday, when the team took a commanding 2-0 series lead on the back of another legendary performance from LeBron James.

He took part in a 40-minute pregame workout on Sunday, but was ruled out after meeting with team doctors following that session.

According to TNT's Rachel Nichols' in-game report, Irving told general manager David Griffin that he felt much improved after that workout, but Cavs doctors didn't believe his knee was strong enough for game action yet, with the risk of a setback still present.

Irving has battled knee and foot injuries that have slowed him throughout the playoffs.

Given that Cleveland has taken a 2-0 lead back home and needs only two wins from the next five games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in eight years, they may simply be playing it safe with Irving for at least another game.

The All-NBA guard has seen his numbers dwindle in the postseason, although he's still averaging 18.9 points, 3.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals on a true shooting percentage of 57.6.

It's on the defensive end where Irving's reduced explosiveness has hurt he and the Cavaliers, however, and the team now seems to have the time to let him recover somewhat.